Kennesaw Mountain

Overview

Kennesaw mountain is a prominent mountain (hill) north of Atlanta. It is notable for one of the bloddiest civil war battles to take place in Georgia.

On June 27, 1864 Confederate General Joseph Johnston had an army entrenched around the stragecially important Kennesaw Mountain. Since Kennesaw Mountain provides 800' of relief from the surrounding terrain, the confederate army placed cannons and other long range artillery on top of the mountian to attack advancing Union armies. The Confederates win the battle killing some 4,000 Union Soldiers and losing 1,000 of their own. Johnston's army was later deployed further south to help defend Atlanta against Sherman's advancing troops.

For more information about the battle and Georgia civil war history goto
Battle of Kennesaw Mountain .

Getting There

The mountain is best accessed off of I-75. Take 1-75 to exit 269 (Barret Parkway). Go West on Barret Parkway for approximately 3 miles until you come to Old-41. At Old-41 go left (South) for about a mile at which point you will be entering the National Park. If you turn right at the next light (Stilesboro) you will see the visitor center which provides for limited parking and access to the trailhead. If you go when it's crowded (i.e Saturday and Sunday) you will probably want to park on the side of Old-41. Basically, if you see a lot of cars parked on the road you might as well park there too since finding a parking space will not be worth the trouble.

Red Tape

There are no fees. The park is open year round, however the visitor center and visitor center parking lot close early in the winter (6pm). Hunting is not allowed nor is metal detecting or anything that might upset the historical nature of the park.

When To Climb

Year round, although the main parking lot does close early in the winter (6pm). The best days are right after a cold front (if you can take the cold and wind). After a cold front passes, the air becomes very clear and you get excellent views of Atlanta to the South and the beginning of the Appalachians to the North.

Camping

Camping is not allowed (strictly enforced), so leave your sleeping bags at home.

Mountain Conditions

There are no websites with conditions of the mountain per se. Just go by the weather forcast for Kennesaw which you can look up on yahoo:
Kennesaw forecast .

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Images

View Kennesaw Mountain Image Gallery - 12 Images